What to Think About When Buying a Poconos Home (Philadelphia: to rent, buying a home)

[mplmom]

Hi All...

Hoping you can help me. We're looking into buying a second vacation home for year-round enjoyment in the Poconos. I have a two major questions.

This first question comes from a suburban girl who spent her summers at the shore, while her husband spent his summers in the mountains.

1. Are there any specific home features or environmental factors that we should consider? For instance, a fireplace seemed obvious, but I originally didn't consider the importance of a pitched roof or that a non-motor lake might be safer to swim in environmentally. What other "non-obvious" things are important when considering a Poconos home and the area? And... are there any styles of homes (ie. ranch, chalet, with loft/without, with basement/without) that have benefits or drawbacks?


2. We are considering the following areas (in no particular order): newfoundland, gouldsboro, greentown, lake ariel, cobbs lake preserve, hawley, lord's valley, and some others with a few (lakeville, lackawaxen, thornhurst, etc...). Can anybody give yay / nay on ANY these areas? If we go farther north into Wayne county it's a 3-hour+ drive. It may be worth it, but are there other areas that are recommended but a little closer to Philadelphia? Any recommendations for great communities with little ones?


Now realize... we're not millionaires and I'm looking for real opinions to get my brain thinking , so please be honest.

Thanks so much everybody!!

[KatWag]

We just settled end of August. Started out looking around Milford. Ended up being completely charmed by the area around Jim Thorpe. We live in Blue Bell so it is about an hour and fifteen door-to-door. I have been grateful. We have had an army of contractors working on the house and have been back and forth frequently. I don't know what we would have done if the house was three hours away, to be honest.


A few items we found when we were looking...log cabins are charming but can be hard to insulate...$$$ to heat. Love the windows in the chalets...just be prepared to clean them. :-)

Neglect of the properties seems to be a common theme, sad to say. We have spent a bundle getting the infrastructure stuff into good condition. Just lots of little things which add up. A lot of homes are rented out and some tenants are careful...some not so much. we found that the home inspector seemed to hide behind a lot of legalese...only required to note major issues, etc.

We have a crawl space. They are common...watch for moisture issues.

Our roof has a steep pitch which was a huge blessing last weekend in the snow. :-)

Best wishes in your search. I hope you find your own little slice of paradise.

[CourageMom]

Lots of trees means power outages.. If you get a gas stove, and gas fireplace and a propane tank or two you can cook and keep warm when electric is out. Get a four wheel drive car, and don't live too hidden. If you live on a state road you'll be free faster after a storm. A metal roof with those corrugated grooves are great. Always have unopened gallons of water tucked away. If you frequent Philly.. live close to it, but if that isn't urgent
think as far up as Honesdale..(near a lake) Charming.

[yorickshead]

Can give you a "yay" on Lakeville....love the area.

[okaydorothy]

We have a vacation home in lake ariel (wle). It is about 3 hours drive from where we live. What was important to us when we bought it almost four years ago was that it be in a community where the kids had activities like a pool, playground, game room etc. It was a new home so we didnt have anything to do which was another plus ; had done fixer uppers many times.
Cost was a factor also. We had a certain price we didnt want to go above and we didnt. We do have three lakes, but we are not on a lake. We actually are the last house in the community which is great.

[poconoproud]

Originally Posted by mplmom

Hi All...

Hoping you can help me. We're looking into buying a second vacation home for year-round enjoyment in the Poconos. I have a two major questions.

This first question comes from a suburban girl who spent her summers at the shore, while her husband spent his summers in the mountains.

1. Are there any specific home features or environmental factors that we should consider? For instance, a fireplace seemed obvious, but I originally didn't consider the importance of a pitched roof or that a non-motor lake might be safer to swim in environmentally. What other "non-obvious" things are important when considering a Poconos home and the area? And... are there any styles of homes (ie. ranch, chalet, with loft/without, with basement/without) that have benefits or drawbacks?

A generator is a wise idea, as when the storms take out power, it can sometimes be days before power is back on. Small generators run a few lights and things, but you can also install a whole house generator, like a Generac. My dad has a free-standing wood burning stove, which he not only uses to heat his home, but he can also heat food up on it.

If you buy in a lake community, some basements can pose a problem with taking on water... you may walk into a house and smell mildew... it's an indicator of something leaking somewhere.

A lot of homes built in some of the lake communities (such as Arrowhead Lakes, for instance) were built in the late 70's and throughout the 80's. The building codes were no where near where they are today, so I consider it wise to hire your own outside inspection agency, even if the realtor you use already has their own, to inspect any home you consider buying.

If you instead decide to buy a lot and build in a lake community, as opposed to buying a home, you will be required to have wetland studies done and often approval from the Army Corps/DEP... so look for lots that the seller has already done this homework for you. We have had lot owners who paid ooo-gobs of money for a lot that can not be built on, because it is completely wetlands.

2. We are considering the following areas (in no particular order): newfoundland, gouldsboro, greentown, lake ariel, cobbs lake preserve, hawley, lord's valley, and some others with a few (lakeville, lackawaxen, thornhurst, etc...). Can anybody give yay / nay on ANY these areas? If we go farther north into Wayne county it's a 3-hour+ drive. It may be worth it, but are there other areas that are recommended but a little closer to Philadelphia? Any recommendations for great communities with little ones?

There are none of these places that I would Nay -

Now realize... we're not millionaires and I'm looking for real opinions to get my brain thinking , so please be honest.

Thanks so much everybody!!

Good luck!

[Irish Eyes]

Originally Posted by mplmom

Hi All...

Hoping you can help me. We're looking into buying a second vacation home for year-round enjoyment in the Poconos. I have a two major questions.

This first question comes from a suburban girl who spent her summers at the shore, while her husband spent his summers in the mountains.

1. Are there any specific home features or environmental factors that we should consider? For instance, a fireplace seemed obvious, but I originally didn't consider the importance of a pitched roof or that a non-motor lake might be safer to swim in environmentally. What other "non-obvious" things are important when considering a Poconos home and the area? And... are there any styles of homes (ie. ranch, chalet, with loft/without, with basement/without) that have benefits or drawbacks?


2. We are considering the following areas (in no particular order): newfoundland, gouldsboro, greentown, lake ariel, cobbs lake preserve, hawley, lord's valley, and some others with a few (lakeville, lackawaxen, thornhurst, etc...). Can anybody give yay / nay on ANY these areas? If we go farther north into Wayne county it's a 3-hour+ drive. It may be worth it, but are there other areas that are recommended but a little closer to Philadelphia? Any recommendations for great communities with little ones?


Now realize... we're not millionaires and I'm looking for real opinions to get my brain thinking , so please be honest.

Thanks so much everybody!!

Ranch homes are more economical to heat. Also - most areas are moist so basements will be very wet. I'm thinking this is a vacation home? I would skip the basement since you will not be there to run dehumidifier constantly.

Also when looking at properties, realize that if there is an empty lot next to you someone may build on it tomorrow. And if it's a builder that does it, they will cut down every tree on the property. Ask yourself if the house you like will still be desirable and give you privacy if someone levels the lot next to you.

[DavidWebb]

Poconoproud and Irisheyes have given you the best advice...whatever you do stay away from Tobyhanna and A Pocono Country Place...both country ghetto's for the big city rats!!

[poconogirl]

We have a semi in ground lower level, half of the house is under ground, the other 2 sides are open where the garage is. It is still moist. As long as the De-humifier is set on a certain percentage and plug into a timer (say run it 5 hr a day) during spring/summer time, you should be ok. having a basement gives you extra storage space and/or play area for the kids.

[PWGUNNY]

We bought our vacation home in Big Bass Lake community 5 years ago. At first I thought I wanted a motor boat lake and then I changed my mind. I'm glad I did. Fishing on a calm serene lake is much better without out the noise and chop you get from power boats and jet skis.
I knew my children are happiest when they have other kids to play with so a active community was a must.
My wife and kids spend the summer at the lakehouse and I am up on weekends in the summer. The house is not used as much in the winter. Safety was a prime concern, so a gated community was also important.
I play a lot of tennis so tennis courts and others to play with was a must. The dues at Big Bass are on the higher side for the Poconos. About $1900 a year. I believe Lake Naomi is also on the high side for dues, but as always, you get what you pay for. Both of these communities have nice amenities and are very well maintained.
If you have the opportunity to rent a home in a community, prior to purchasing, it would be beneficial.

Good luck!